Radical legislation proposed by liberal Democrats in California would infringe on the rights of conservatives and Christians, say Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center and Tim Graham, who serves as the group's director of media analysis.
"The state's Democrats may pass a law to shut down religious speech and create a statewide LGBT 'safe space,'" they write in a column published Friday by CNSNews.com.
The proposal, Bozell and Graham say, would ban all conversion therapy as a fraudulent business practice — by not just mental health providers but anyone.
"The bill would amend the state Consumer Legal Remedies Act, adding the ability to sue for damages for 'advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual,'" they write.
"Any efforts to change someone's sexual orientation 'in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to any consumer are unlawful.' That's more than therapy. It's any kind of an argument …
"We know whose expression this bill is designed to curtail. Leftist legislators were not subtle. One assembly member spouted that it is time for legislation to nudge the 'faith community' to 'evolve with the times.'"